Chapter 31

The late autumn dusk brought a chill. 

Ning Zhen, wearing a thin coat, couldn’t fend off the cold wind blowing under the plane trees. 

Soon, the sun had set. The world was unstable, and the dock wasn’t far away. She couldn’t risk being left alone here. 

Hesitant, Ning Zhen finally responded to Meng Xinliang’s offer. “Thank you, Mr. Meng.” 

As the governor’s wife and a young lady of the Ning family, Meng Xinliang likely wouldn’t dare to kidnap her. 

—At least that’s what she guessed, though she wasn’t entirely sure. 

She had heard that Meng Xinliang was especially ruthless, which was how he had climbed to his current position at such a young age. 

Sitting upright, Ning Zhen straightened her back. 

Beside her, Meng Xinliang spoke in a low, gentle voice. “Miss Ning, did you know I started working for the gang when I was only eight?” 

Ning Zhen was surprised. “I—I didn’t know that.” 

Why was he bringing this up? 

“People see me, young and standing on the high stage, and assume I have some kind of extraordinary power. But the truth is, I’ve endured twenty years of hardship, climbing step by step to get here,” Meng Xinliang said with a smile. 

Ning Zhen:  

Her thoughts had been seen through. 

What sharp eyes—he seemed to see through everything. 

Ning Zhen felt a little embarrassed. 

“Sorry,” she said sincerely for once. “Mr. Meng, I was just being cautious.” 

“I understand. I often have dinner with your brother, and he always speaks highly of you—how you’re cherished but not spoiled and naturally careful,” Meng Xinliang replied. 

Ning Zhen said, “I’ve heard my brother mention you several times too. He really admires you.” 

Meng Xinliang smiled slightly. 

Ning Zhen actually wanted to ask how he knew her cousin, Ah Nuo (Yunnuo), but she wasn’t sure how to bring it up. 

Before she could speak, Meng Xinliang asked, “Miss Ning, do you mind if I ask a few more questions about Ah Nuo?” 

Ning Zhen’s curiosity was piqued, though she maintained a calm facade. “I don’t mind. Go ahead.” 

“I’ve known Ah Nuo for quite a while. I thought you were aware of that,” Meng Xinliang began, not asking a question but explaining instead. 

He clearly understood Ning Zhen’s curiosity. 

“My brother and Sister Ah Nuo treat us like kids. They don’t go into much detail about some things,” Ning Zhen hinted. 

Meng Xinliang chuckled. “I see. What did she study while she was abroad? She once said it was translation, but later it didn’t seem like that.” 

“She went to study medicine,” Ning Zhen said. 

“Is that field difficult?” Meng Xinliang asked. 

“Very difficult. In this city, there are so few schools that offer the program, and they don’t even accept women. To switch majors, her grades had to be nearly perfect, and she needed her previous professors to give her glowing recommendations. 

“On top of that, the entrance exams for the preparatory year are harder than the imperial examinations. Even if she passes all the tests, the tuition is astronomical—ten times what I pay for my own studies,” Ning Zhen explained. 

When she talked about her cousin, she couldn’t help but show admiration in her voice. 

“That difficult?” Meng Xinliang seemed momentarily lost in thought. “Does her husband support her?” 

Ning Zhen hesitated. 

“He’s… fine with it,” she said, turning her face toward the window. 

“Wen Weinian was your classmate, and he knows Ah Nuo too. I asked him about her once. He said he’s not very familiar with her but knows that her husband is the son of a rice merchant from Nanyang, though he doesn’t live in London,” Meng Xinliang said. 

Ning Zhen:  

“Where does he live?” he asked again. 

Ning Zhen:  

“You know your family doesn’t realize they’re living apart,” Meng Xinliang added. 

Ning Zhen felt like she was being interrogated. 

If she said something rash and couldn’t keep the story straight later, it could cause trouble. 

She couldn’t put her cousin in a bad situation. 

Her cousin was about to graduate; after a year of internship, she would become a real internal medicine doctor. 

How many female internal medicine doctors were there in the world? 

Her cousin was walking a remarkable yet difficult path. 

If her uncle found out that her cousin had lied and used her dowry to pay for tuition, he’d probably go all the way to London to give her a beating. 

Even at school, her cousin claimed she was married. Aside from Ning Zhen, none of her roommates knew the truth. 

“Their relationship is pretty good, but as for the finer details, my cousin wouldn’t share them with me. I was just her unmarried little cousin at the time,” Ning Zhen said. “It’s true, my brother-in-law doesn’t live in London.” 

Ning Zhen was the second person in the world to know her cousin’s secret. So, she couldn’t be the one to reveal it to a third party. 

Meng Xinliang listened quietly. 

From then on, he didn’t say another word. 

When the car arrived at the Ning residence, it was already pitch dark. The electric lantern at the entrance illuminated only a small patch of ground. 

Ning Zhen thanked him, “Thank you for the trouble, Mr. Meng.” 

“No need to be so polite. You’re the governor’s wife. There are many people eager to curry favor with you, so I thought I’d start by building some goodwill,” Meng Xinliang replied. 

After exchanging a few more polite words, Ning Zhen entered her home. 

As Meng Xinliang’s car turned back, he instructed the driver to stop at a corner just after leaving the Ning residence. 

A black car had just pulled over on the side of the road. 

As Meng Xinliang approached, a tall figure stepped out of the car, standing in the shadows with an unreadable expression. 

“…Governor, your wife has safely returned home,” Meng Xinliang said with a smile. 

He raised his hand slightly, the dark green of the tourmaline ring on his left thumb glinting faintly in the dim light. 

Sheng Changyu looked at him, exuding an icy chill. “Did I ask you to meddle?” 

“Your wife and I are old acquaintances. This wasn’t meddling; it was offering help when needed,” Meng Xinliang retorted without backing down. 

“You want to challenge me?” Sheng Changyu stepped forward. 

Meng Xinliang didn’t move, his gentle smile unwavering. “You’ve always been proud. If you think I’m capable of challenging you, then I’ll take it as a compliment.” 

Sheng Changyu sneered, “If I respect you, you’d better know your place.” 

The two exchanged a few more sharp words, neither gaining the upper hand. 

Neither of them could truly get rid of the other, so they could only spar with words. 

Sheng Changyu had a temper, prone to outbursts, but his mind was always clear. He calculated risks with precision and never gambled recklessly. 

Meng Xinliang had heard that back in the day, the marshal hadn’t been satisfied with his eldest son and had intended to groom the second son instead. Sheng Changyu, however, had fought his way out of a desperate situation and successfully took over the family business. 

Like Meng Xinliang, Sheng Changyu was the kind of person who would go to any lengths to achieve his goals. 

Such a person was not to be provoked. 

Meng Xinliang didn’t want to anger him, and Sheng Changyu was also wary of Meng Xinliang. The two had some dealings with each other, but not much. They maintained a certain level of exchange, with neither owing the other anything. 

When Sheng Changyu returned to the governor’s mansion, Cheng Baisheng had already heard about what had happened that day. 

He had advised Sheng Changyu not to leave the house that afternoon. 

Sheng Changyu had been busy recently, inspecting two locations. He had even encountered a washed-out railway line, forcing him to ride a horse for two days to get back to the city, leaving him exhausted. 

When he was tired, Sheng Changyu’s temper was most likely to flare. 

Cheng Baisheng had heard that Sheng Changyu had beaten up Su Rong and his gang. Then the driver had mentioned that Ning Zhen seemed to have cried when she got out of the car, possibly after being scolded. 

“So, how did it go?” Cheng Baisheng asked. 

“Nothing happened,” Sheng Changyu replied. 

His temper had reached its peak, and he didn’t want to talk to anyone. 

The next day, Cheng Baisheng went directly to the Ning residence to visit Ning Zhen. 

She was polite and respectful toward him. 

Cheng Baisheng had planned to offer her some advice, but before he could speak, Ning Zhen said, “Yes, I got scolded. It’s no big deal. My father’s old now, but even he gets scolded by the governor sometimes. There’s no superior who doesn’t scold people. I can handle it.” 

Cheng Baisheng:  

The governor isn’t your superior; he’s your husband. 

Listening to Ning Zhen’s tone, Cheng Baisheng felt a sense of hopelessness. The prospect of the madam moving into the governor’s mansion seemed more distant than ever.